Appointed Afghan Senator Has Dual Citizenship

KABUL (MEP) – Former chairman of the Independent Election Commission and a current Meshrano Jirga member Yusuf Nuristani has dual citizenship, said ARG spokesman.

After Yusuf Nuristani pleaded guilty in federal court to Theft of Public Money, A spokesman for President Ghani has said that Nuristani has citizenship of Afghanistan and the United States.

Mr. Nuristani may be sentenced to a maximum of ten years in prison and a fine of up to $ 250,000 in cash, according to U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Ahmad Yusuf Nuristani has admitted in US court that he received over $100,000 in government benefits by concealing foreign travel and residency nearly four years outside the United States.

Meanwhile, ARG spokesman Sediq Sediqi in a post on twitter addressing accusation of Nuristani has wrote that Mr. Nuristani is an Afghan-American citizen.

“Crime is a personal act, no one can be above the law in any place. Nuristani has Afghan-American citizenship. Nuristani has committed unlawful acts in the United States, the country’s justice and Attorney Office can decide on him,” Sediqi added.

The Tweet indicates that President Ghani has appointed nuristani to the Meshrano Jirga while he has dual citizenship, US and Afghanistan.

Nuristani chaired the Independent Election Commission (IEC) in 2014 Presidential Election which led to the formation of the National Unity Government (NUG) after widespread fraud and corruption.

Not long ago, a court in Afghanistan found Mr. Nuristani to be convicted of illegally taking one million Afghanis from the public money during his provincial government in Herat, but his sentence was never executed.